Caramel Apple Cinnamon Braid

A little piece of Heaven

I love apple pie and I love bread! Mix them together and you have a piece of Heaven.

Recipe for Dough

2.5 cups Bread Flour

1/8 cup sugar (can use honey, brown sugar or any sweetener 1:1)

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp rounded SAF-Instant Premium Yeast

1 Tsp Liquid Soy Lecithin (Avoid Mess: dimple the flour mixture with back of tsp and fill up dimple to make 1 tsp)

1 cup hot/warm water **add additional water until all flour is gone and the dough is pulling itself off the bowl.

Braid Filling

4 oz cream cheese mixed with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp vanilla

2 Granny Smith apples peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Caramel Topping for drizzling

Instructions:

  1. Mix Dry ingredients. (yeast is a dry ingredient)
  2. Make 1 dimple in dry ingredients with tsp.  Squeeze the lecithin into the bottom of the dimple about the size of  a quarter.
  3. Add water slowly, add 3/4 cups and then the remaining 1/4 cup. Mix for 1 minute and check  consistency. The dough should be sticky and pull itself off bowl.
  4. Mix/knead in mixer on medium setting for 5 minutes or knead for 5 minutes by hand.
  5. Spray counter and hands with cooking spray and knead for a few seconds to form smooth ball.
  6. Roll dough into a 15-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
  7. Spread cream cheese mixture lengthwise down center third of rectangle, then add apples, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar, and drizzle with caramel topping.
  8. On each long side, cut 1-in.-wide strips about 2-1/2-in. into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling.
  9. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under.  Sprinkle with cinnamon/ sugar and drizzle with more caramel topping .
  10. Bake at 350 for 25 mintues.
  11. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack or cutting board with 2 spatulas.